Exhaust plenum chamber

Abstract

An exhaust plenum chamber for a supercharged engine having a variable volume. A mechanical spring is arranged to an exhaust plenum chamber to increase the spring action of the plenum chamber volume. In this connection, the plenum chamber interior is divided into a flow chamber and a dead volume. The efficiency especially of relatively small plenum chambers in internal combustion engines with a small number of cylinders and/or slight supercharging is improved.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
       1. An internal combustion engine supercharged with a gas-dynamic pressure-wave machine having an exhaust collector comprising; an outer sound shield closed against the atmosphere and rigidly connected at one end to a plurality of inflow ducts from cylinders of the engine and at the other end to an outflow duct leading to the pressure-wave machine;   an inner mechanical spring arranged inside said sound shield;   a dead volume formed between said sound shield and said spring; and   a flow chamber formed within said spring;   wherein the volume of the flow chamber is varied by the action of said spring.   
     
     
       2. The exhaust collector according to claim 1, wherein said spring is formed from an undulated spring steel membrane which extends the length of the collector and is attached thereto in a gas-tight fashion. 
     
     
       3. The exhaust collector according to claim 1, wherein said spring is formed from spring steel sheets which are attached to the collector at the incoming end and movable in an arc at the outgoing end.